'tis Season To Buy Right Kind Of Wood

December 6, 1997|By Orange County (Calif.) Register

If you haven't already stocked up on wood to burn in your fireplace, now is the time. Just be sure to get seasoned wood for this winter.

Unseasoned wood - what many people call green wood - shouldn't be purchased now for use in the next few months. Unseasoned wood takes about six months to dry out. The exact time varies depending on the type of wood, how it's stored and how much moisture is present.

Buy only seasoned wood now if you plan to use it this winter.

Unless you're familiar with wood, you'll probably have to rely on the seller to tell you if the wood is properly seasoned.

Here are some tips for determining whether the wood you're looking at is seasoned properly:

Bark. In seasoned wood, it should practically fall off a log when you handle it.

Cracks. Make sure the cracks emanating from the middle of the log are dark in color.

Weight. Seasoned wood weighs significantly less than an unseasoned piece of the same size. The reason? Less moisture. If you're looking at a couple of wood piles and can't tell the difference, heft a long piece from one pile, then a similar-size log from the other.